Miami Dolphins vs. Chicago Bears: Analyzing This Crucial Thursday Night Matchup
The Chicago Bears have a short week to recover from their 27-13 dismantling of the Vikings on Sunday, and to prepare for the Miami Dolphins. Fortunately for Chicago, the Dolphins also played on Sunday and though they get the luxury of playing at Sun Life Stadium, they are a very banged up team right now.
The Fish improved to 5-4 with their 29-17 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday but it was a costly win. Miami lost two quarterbacks in the game and had to resort to the Wildcat before third-string QB Tyler Thigpen came off the bench to finish the game.
With a short week of practice, the Bears travel to Miami with a healthy team, while the Fish are banged up. They have no QB, and their best players on offense and defense are hurting and may not play. Still, this is the 2010 NFL season, where anything can happen. Sounds like a trap game for Chicago.
I've analyzed some of the more interesting elements of the Thursday night game. Take a look and let me know your prediction.
Home Field No Advantage For Dolphins
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Prior to beating the Titans on Sunday, Miami had lost five regular season games in a row at home dating back to last season. The Dolphins are only 1-3 at Sun Life Stadium this season, while the Bears are 3-1 on the road.
In those three home losses this season, the Dolphins have allowed 95 points. Though to be fair, those opponents were the Jets, Patriots and Steelers.
Meanwhile, the Bears have beaten the Cowboys (who hasn't?), the Giants and Carolina. In those three road wins, the Bears defense has allowed an average of less than 10 points per game.
To be sure, not having to travel helps a team, especially in a short week. But don't fool yourself into thinking that being at home is a tonic for what ails the Fish.
Hanging Chads Force Miami To Go To Thigpen
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Tyler Thigpen. Really? Didn't he used to pitch for the White Sox?
After losing Chad Pennington and Chad Henne, I guess the Dolphins ran out of Chads, and had to resort to third string QB Tyler Thigpen, who actually did a nice job in relief.
This quote on ESPN summed up the Dolphins win over the Titans: "They beat us with basically no quarterbacks," Titans defensive tackle Jovan Haye said.
By running the Wildcat and opening up the offensive playbook for tricks and treats, Miami was able to score 29 points despite the injuries to their QBs.
Pennington's shoulder injury is season-ending and possibly career-ending, while Henne was hobbling around on crutches after the game with a knee injury.
Thigpen did lead an 85-yard touchdown drive for the game's final points, but Thursday night will be the first start since 2008.
The Wildcat Will Be De-Clawed By The Bears Defense
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Miami ran the Wildcat successfully on Sunday against the Titans, racking up 49 yards in seven snaps. However, the Bears defense has been stout vs. the run all season—save for the Washington game—and should be able to stop this cat in its tracks.
Now I realize the Wildcat doesn't just mean that the Fish are going to run the ball, but even on their pass attempts, two failed miserably before Chad Penne hit a long one. But Penne will not be playing on Thursday.
So we can expect a lot of flea flickers, fake punts and other assorted trickery by this Miami team on Thursday night. Ricky Williams was very good running the ball, as he averaged 5.8 yards per carry. But Ronnie Brown went nowhere, with 12 carries for just 11 yards.
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A Balanced Attack Will Be Needed Against Miami's 3-4 Defense
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Miami's 3-4 defense will blitz a lot and try to generate pressure on Jay Cutler, so look for more adjustments by Mike Martz to keep him upright. Max protect schemes and Cutler rolling out will once again be key for the Bears offense to be able to move the ball against Miami.
Miami is seventh in the NFL defending the pass, though it is just 17th versus the run. The Bears will need to take advantage of this by pounding the run. Since the break, Martz has called a much more balanced offense.
The Bears actually converted 11 of 19 third downs against the Vikings, something that has been a sore spot for the offense all year. Chris Johnson carved up the Fish on Sunday, though he is a great back of course. Still, he had only 66 and 59 yards in his previous two games, showing how vulnerable Miami is to the run.
Take That Ball Away!
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Brian Urlacher corrected a reporter and his general bone of contention was for us to not to use the term "turnovers" but to instead call them "takeaways." Apparently the Bears want to distinguish between opponents giving up the ball vs. the Bears stripping it, stealing it and doing otherwise nasty things to it.
Whatever the term, it's good stuff and it's the life blood of this defense. I'm not a fan of Lovie Smith, but I'll give him credit for this one. He has always preached this philosophy. But what was interesting to watch on Sunday against the Vikings was the tackling. These guys tackled as well as we've seen them tackle, wrapping up Adrian Peterson like he was a Christmas present.
Meanwhile, Miami has taken the ball away 11 times, including six INTs and five fumble recoveries. The Bears on the other hand have 24 of them, 14 of which have been INTs.
Facing Thigpen, and perhaps even JaMarcus Russell, this team should be able to pressure the Miami QBs into throwing the ball away.
As Bears fans, we'll gladly take it.
Special Teams Will Be Key To The Game
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How many times have Bears fans watched Dave Taub's special teams unit perform well? Whether it's Brad Maynard punting inside the 20, Devin Hester's ridiculous return skills or blocking a field goal, this unit is special and could be the key to the game.
Against the Vikings, the field position battle was no battle at all, as the Bears started in Minnesota territory several times.
Hester ran back two kickoffs and two punts for a combined 147 yards. Even Rashied Davis had a 32-yard return. This might be the difference in the game.
Did Miami Ask JaMarcus Russell To Put Down The Purple Drank?
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UPDATE: The Dolphins have reportedly signed Patrick Ramsey, which likely means that JaMarcus can go back to chillin'.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is reporting that the Dolphins have reached out to Oakland Raiders bust JaMarcus Russell to help the depleted QB roster following injuries to Pennington and Henne.
Look, there is little chance the Dolphins could bring in anybody in time for them to start on Thursday night, so Thigpen is the man. But if they did sign him, I hope he plays because that would certainly bode well for the Bears.
Injuries To Jake Long and Cameron Wake
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Left tackle Jake Long has started every game in his career but he dislocated his shoulder in the win over the Titans. He says he will suck it up and play, but first he needs to be medically cleared by the team's doctors, which is no certainty.
If Long can't go, that will be good news for Julius Peppers. Even if the tough guy does suit up, how effective can he be with that injury?
Also, outside linebacker Cameron Wake suffered a hip injury, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The site says, "He underwent an X-ray after the game. It's possible the coaches could shelve him for Thursday's game."
This is a really, really good football player, Bears fans. He has 8.5 sacks on the season. The Sentinel also lists starting free safety Chris Clemons among the wounded, saying he "has been nursing a sore left knee."
So, the best offensive and defensive players on Miami are hurting. Meanwhile, the Bears are healthy. Sounds good to this Bears fan.
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